Little Rock School District leaders are recommending Ronald Self for the job of director of the district’s 125-person safety and security department.
Self, whose employment is pending final approval from Arkansas Education Commissioner Johnny Key, is a former police officer in Jonesboro and Luxora. But he also has school district experience. Since 2006, Self has worked as the director of security, safety and emergency management in the Blytheville School District.
He would replace Bobby Jones in the Little Rock job. Jones retired from the district earlier this year.
Little Rock Superintendent Baker Kurrus called Self ’s experiences as a police officer and school resource officer in Jonesboro and his school district administrative role in Blytheville “the perfect combination.”
“We want somebody who knows safety and security,” Kurrus said, “and he’s trained in emergency management, too, which is good, although I hope we never have to use that.”
Self, 37, was recommended for the Little Rock district job at a time when Kurrus, Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner and the Police Department’s Tanya Washington are making plans to provide joint training to the school district’s safety and security officers and the Little Rock Police Department’s school resource officers who work on school district campuses.
“We have situations in schools that I guess everybody has,” Kurrus said Friday.
“What we need to do is understand how to manage situations that can escalate if they aren’t managed right. Capt. Washington thinks we can really benefit from some joint training, so that is what we are going to do. We are going to understand the role of the safety and security officers and the role of the school resource officers and try to maximize the relationship.”
The school resource officers are not in the schools to provide a heavy police presence but to promote good behavior and positive relationships, Kurrus said.
By placing the emphasis on that role and by providing training for police and security officers, district leaders want to minimize student bad behavior and avoid ratcheting up conflicts.
Self, who is scheduled to begin work in the district Aug. 3, will earn an annual salary of $87,648.
He has a bachelor’s degree in emergency administration and management from Arkansas Tech in Russellville, and a master’s degree in disaster preparedness and emergency management from Arkansas State University.
He has 467 hours in police training from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in East Camden.
In 2014, Self was one of 20 people under the age of 40 recognized by Security Director News as an “up and comer” in the nation’s physical security industry.